When John reached the point where he needed end of life care, he and Marie were determined that he would receive it at the hospice.

Marie said: “When I was told there was nothing else that could be done for John, I knew I wanted him to have his final days being looked after at the hospice.

“Even within the first 10 minutes, the staff at the hospice did more for John than others had done in weeks; I was told to just be with him, and it was not down to me to be his nurse. They looked after us both so well. All of our friends and our six children – Billie, Josh, Sophie, Ryan, Harry and Kairi – could spend as much time with John as they needed, day or night.

“We got married just before he took his final breath.”